You have very little wall space to tile in your small kitchen and a lot going on. Very elaborate cabinet door and trims. Large decorative hood. Busy granite. Large peninsula with even more busy granite. I don't think the size of the tile makes a difference, but I think you need a plain cream ceramic tile.

Plain pale subways (whatever blends with the countertop) ... that countertop has a lot going on and deserves to be the star of the kitchen.

I agree with may_flowers, your kitchen calls for a calm backsplash. In any event, on my monitor, the colors in the tile don't go with the colors in the backsplash (the tile looks pink, the granite looks yellow).

Another vote for a very simple creamy BS. Maybe something matte?

I'm with sj and may_flowers ... you have a lovely counter and detailed cabs - the backsplash seems to want to be a background for those "pop" elements.

We went the other way - backsplash is the big "wow" with counter and cabs playing second and third fiddle. You can't have 3 or 4 pieces all trying to play lead :)

I agree with all posters in favor of a simple backsplash. I would stick with one color and probably go with a subway tile. I think what you picked out is lovely,it is just too busy for your kitchen..

How about something like this.
Sonoma Tilemakers-Stellar Collection-Color is "Retro Khaki".

Thank you

There really aren't any tile stores (for backsplashes) in my area. Do you guys order online? If someone could post some examples of the recommended back splashes, I would greatly appreciate it. I really like the subway tile design.

Try www.tilesdirect.net. You can get 4 samples mailed to you for $8.50. Also can call and let them know what you are looking for and they are glad to assist.

I love the idea of using large format tile in small spaces. It has real visual presence without distracting from or competing with the stone. This is 5th Avenue subway tile in Ivory, it measures 4" x 16" and is reasonable priced. It's very pretty tile.

I did a mockup for you. Its not the best but might give you an idea.

Just for kicks I did a dark bs too.

Ok one more. This was my old kitchen. We had the same color counters and cabs as you. We used 3X6 botticino polished marble. I LOVED it!

I don't think the tiles are too small. I did the same size, but a little less busy. We love them!

one more pic :)

As you can see from aktillery's first pic, it will be be tricky getting the right white/cream to work with the warm yellow undertone in the cabinets and the granite, where I see yellow and gray, cool and warm. What color dominates the granite when you stand back and look at the whole kitchen? We can only focus on the individual flecks in a close-up photo, and that can hide the undertone.

The Sonoma Tilemakers line that Tinker showed has many shades of every color, so it would be good to find a line like that in a tile shop that you could work through recognizing undertones. I bet you were able to see that the backsplash is pink in your sample after sjhockeyfan pointed it out. Do look at the darker tiles as they might be a better choice to link the cabinets and counter, especially if you don't have a line like Sonoma available to you. A brown tone picked from the granite would look really nice with the cabinet glazing, and it wouldn't be too dark since you have only a little wall to tile, with one run under a window.

Is there a supply house for contractors in your area? Here we have a place that's one-stop shopping for everything for the home. Your contractor or designer has to buy the material, but you can go in and look and then order samples elsewhere if you don't have a contractor.

Sandesurf - not sure if you saw some of my previous posts where I thanked you for posting these pictures of your kitchen some time ago. We recently had our BS completed in these same tiles to go with our TB and we LOVE it. I am so grateful that you shared on GW. Otherwise I'd probably still be dragging home samples and fretting over the eventual outcome.

Surprisingly, I really like the dark tile with your cabs and counter. I think the creamy tones are too blendy.

I have the same counter as you with maple (stained) cabinets. I was looking at a more rustic backsplash, but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. If you don't care for the dark backsplash suggested, maybe a tile with a mix of colors would work.

Note that I'm told the grout would cover many of the holes in the tile. I also linked to the accent tiles I am thinking of.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rustic Backsplash

That dark backsplash really sets off the cabinets and countertop in a nice way! But I understand the light-colored kitchen folks might favor the pale colored backsplash tiles...

i really like the dark B/S although i would not do it that small or necessarily that color. would go with larger format and a matte finish to contrast with shiny granite.
i think its very hard to match granite or cabs perfectly with B/S and if it doesn't, it looks like you missed the mark
instead of subway, you can go 6x6 size or larger...

good luck!!!

What size are these subway tiles? I have to agree that they look very small. I'd go with a larger format, even if you want to stick to the subway tile, e.g. 3x6, 4x8, or even larger.